Tap water in the St. Louis region is recognized nationwide for its quality and has won awards for its taste. An organization representing local communities, water companies and other utilities has launched a public information campaign to promote water and explain why water bills will rise in coming years as the region’s infrastructure is replaced and improved.

Former Missouri American Water President Terry Gloriad says water remains a good value but some pipes are more than a century old.

Gloriad says the St. Louis area needs to double the rate at which it’s replacing pipes and over the next 20 years, will more than double the average monthly water bill, from about $20 now to almost $80 within two decades.